The Crash and The Crush
by littlemisscass
Summary: When Lily Evans literally ran into James Potter in Diagon Alley, she intended to utter a short apology and run off, but instead she finds herself telling him about her summer and not minding his company at all. Potter, however, has declared to his mates that he's sworn off Lily for good. Only time, and Sirius' interventions, will tell how long that might last.


Diagon Alley was bustling the late August day that Lily Evans decided to buy her books for her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. Stumbling along, carrying plenty too many bags, she crashed into a boy.

Intending to mumble a short apology and continue on her way, Lily was surprised to find herself faced with a messy-haired, hazel-eyed James Potter. This Potter, unlike the one she usually saw, was grinning at her. As he helped her pick up the quills she'd dropped during their collision, he asked how she was and, as far as she could tell, really meant it.

"Fine. I mean, Petunia, my sister, was being absolutely obstinate that I couldn't be in her wedding last weekend, which I wasn't, but that made my parents cross with her and now they aren't speaking. It's all my fault…" It was nice to get it off her chest. He was a good person to talk to; he didn't offer advice or comments, just listened. Lily looked up from the ground and remembered to whom she was speaking. "Uh, sorry Potter, I'm blabbering on. How are you?"

He began to reply, but was interrupted by a shout.

"Prongs!"

Lily hid a smile as Sirius ran over excitedly.

"Prongs! Prongs! You'll never guess what I just saw! There was this really fit witch over—uh, hello Evans."

"Hi Sirius, have good holidays?"

"Brilliant, truly. Yours?"

"Quite alright, I suppose."

Sirius nodded politely, "Anyway, Prongs, you won't believe this bird. She was really, really hot."

"Hot, you say?" James chuckled, putting his arm around his best mate's shoulders. "How so?"

Lily stood in her spot awkwardly and wished away a situation in which she was stuck talking to her acquaintances about a girl upon which they wished to prey. She didn't care about either of the boys. She didn't know them well enough to care. Sirius was nice, funny and smart, and would make a great mate if he wasn't always talking about snogging her friends. Potter was… well, Potter.

"Well, she had really great legs, I swear they went on for ages. She was pretty pale, but she made it look hot. And her hair… well, actually, it kind of looked like Evans'. And she was wearing a green shirt…" Sirius trailed off, finally looking at Lily for the first time. "Evans! It was you!"

She turned back to Sirius, distracted by her own thoughts. "What? What did I do? Seriously, Sirius, it's not about me being Head Girl, is it? Because I'll have you know that I won't be horrid and give you detentions and take off points all the time, just because you're a git sometimes. I won't."

"What are you on about, Evans?" Sirius shook his head confusedly. "I was saying… y-you're the girl I was talking about."

"What?!"

"I didn't see all of your face, just some of it… and… I s'pose you've changed a bit over summer…"

Potter was looking positively confused. He held up a hand, stopping Sirius in his ramblings. "Lily, did you say that you got Head Girl?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Really." It wasn't even a question, more of a statement. Potter frowned and Sirius placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know who got Head Boy? Because, you know, I've been asking around. I know it's not Remus, unfortunately, and, thankfully, it's not Severus… but I can't seem to figure—"

"It's me."

Lily shook her head, thinking Potter was responding to some earlier question she hadn't heard. "Huh?"

"I got Head Boy."

"Oh." Cursing her own ineloquence, Lily faked a smile. "Cool."

"Yeah." Potter stalked off, not even uttering a half-assed 'goodbye'.

Yet Sirius remained, staring at the Head Girl as if he were evaluating her.

"What _are _you doing, Sirius?"

"You've completely ruined it, you know." He turned his gaze to his pair of ruined tennis shoes.

"Ruined _what_?"

"His resolution."

Lily sighed, exasperated. Obstinate to the core, Sirius probably didn't even know that his terse responses offered little explanation at all.

"_Sirius, _what resolution?"

"The one to get over you." Sirius finally looked up, finding Lily unresponsive was odd, for she was a person that liked to express her opinion often and loudly. "What, Evans? No comeback, no hurtful statement about his love for you?"

"What if I don't want him to get over me?"

"_What did you just say_?"

"Perhaps I don't want him to get over me."

"Evans, you'd better not be lying to me. You'd better not hurt Prongs when you tell him…"

"Tell him?!" Lily shrieked. "Why would I tell him?"

"Because you fancy him!"

"Evans, you just… Evans! Just be a man, figuratively, and tell him what you told me."

Lily hesitated. "But what if he is over me? Then what do I do? It'll be a terrible year if we start with this, and then we have to work together as Heads—"

"Evans."

"—and he'll hate me for bringing it up—"

"Lily." Lily stopped dead; Sirius never used her first name. "Just tell him. He won't hate you, he won't ruin your year. It'll make him hate you less, I'd say. Just tell him, for me, Evans, for him, for you. Whoever, just do it."

"That was almost sweet, Sirius. If the girls knew about that side of you…" She grinned. "Well, I'd better go find the Head Boy, then, oughtn't I?"


End file.
